Fighting Dirty

Fighting Dirty #1

by Lori Powell/Olley White

Dear Author,
I won the tournament, he came in second…

I didn’t even compete to win, but once he was my final opponent, I had to give all I have in me, to prove to him I’m worthy.

I always admired him from afar, but dreamed about him up close and this tournament was my chance to get near him. All I ever wanted was for him to get to know me and maybe, just maybe, something could grow? But I guess I blew it already, given the dirty looks he sends me…

Photo Description:
The photo is of a man in his early twenties. Naked from the waist up, his dark hair is damp and tangled and his olive skin mud-splattered. With dark, dark eyes, perfect full lips and a defined, smooth chest, he is truly beautiful— but there is something haunting about him. His brooding gaze, trained on something just behind the photographer, shows determination… and maybe just a little bit of sorrow.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

Genres: M M Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Romance, Short Stories, Enemies To Lovers, LGBT

24 pages, ebook

First published June 17, 2014

About the author

About me;

Books with romance, books with sex,
Voodoo books and books with hex,
Fantasy, mystery, humour and crime,
Young adult, adult adult and kids from time to time,
In all their shapes and all their sizes,
I love books in all their guises.
Olley White

I live in England and use the fenland where I live as inspiration for my writing. I love romance in stories - boy/girl, boy/boy, girl/girl...if they're in love I love them.

I love M/M fiction...Eric Arvin, Kaje Harper, Eli Easton, Heidi Cullinan, Tj Klune, Amy Lane, Rhys Ford...and soooo many more, I can't get enough man-on-man action. :D

I also adore fantasy stories, from Harry Potter to Bella, Edward & Jacob (team Jacob BTW!!), from Clary and Jace and, the oh so magnificent, Magnus Bane to Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen and the rest of The Gentleman Bastards, from Kvothe to Tyrion....yep I love fantasy.

TV wise I'm a Supernatural, Looking, Teen Wolf, Being Human, Buffy, Big Bang, QI, GoT, True Blood fan - amongst others. If it was books or TV though, books would win, hands down.

I'm married with two amazing children, a heinz 57 dog and two 'rule the roost' cats (is there any other kind?).

I write YA under the name Lori Powell (this is the profile I use most often on GR: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
and I also have a unicorn identity and that is Daisy Silver Damsel, but sssshhh, that's top secret....

Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 fightin' dirty stars

I couldn't wait anymore. I had to read this story. NOW.

And YEAH!

Mud fightin', vanilla-scented baths, lust galore, and a HEA!

*swoons*



I didn't expect this to be a fantasy, but I liked it. I liked that Ethan clawed his way from the bottom and won the heart of a boy he'd been admiring from afar. And Fitz was a nice guy who knew how to fight, AND PLAY, a little dirty.

HOTNESS, SWEETNESS, and all is right with the world.

[SheReadsALot · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars--Don't you just want to get dirty with the cover model?

Is it just me? *fake blushes*

Oh well. ;P

So when I saw this prompt, I thought okay...interesting. And the author rocked the hell out of the prompt.

Fantasy? Class differences? Enemies to Lovers? Virgin?

*quelting*

These are things that make me very happy to read. What a fun world, Olley created. In only a little over 8K, I knew the characters, could see this fantasy world she created and fell for Ethan & Fitz.

Add the bonus of mud wrestling/fighting?



Don't worry. It's sexy.

Know what's even sexier? Ethan and Fitz's cleaning off. Very nice *purrs*

And the hotness factor was upped with what happened afterwards.



Yum! Fun story! Great prompt!

Thank you to the author and the team behind it!!!

[Ana_P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this short story consisted of oh-so-dirty, muddy, and utterly steamy foreplay between two hot alphas...that resembled something akin to Turkish oil wrestling.







Me like?

Oh, yeah!

This hot little number was certainly a great addition to this year's Love's Landscapes event by Ms. White that I enjoyed a whole heck of a lot. *fans self*

[Exina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great writing style, even the mud-fight is written in an engaging way. But the historical background is gappy, I'd love to read more about it. And of course more about Ethan and Fitz and their relationship.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This here little gem should be a staple in your LL diet this year. It's super tasty.



Olley White (if we had a child, it's last name would be Snow-White, btw) manages to pack a huge punch into such a short story. 8k words, is it? Seriously, the sexual tension in this is off the charts.

I'm a gigantic fan of Olley White's writing style. She writes sentences I could never even think of comprising the way she does. I find it very unique and incredibly refreshing. Her writing is concise, but has a more eloquent flow.

Music drifted in from outside the tent, pipes and bells accompanied by the bawdy laughter and drunken singing of peasants allowed a day out of their usual drudgery.

The story is comprised of lines like this-- beautifully written, flowing, and oh-so unique.

I'm glad he won the fight and that Fitz had a short bout of disappointment. Without this small amount of tense and distress, I feel like the tension would've lessened.

“What if I don’t want them to leave?” asked Ethan, sitting up straight in his chair, his fatigued eyes suddenly alive and glinting.

“Oh, I think you do.”

*swoon*

Yes, I'd recommend this story FREE story to anyone and everyone!

[Alvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

DIRTY AND SWEET.

This is a nice one!

I know the mud wrestling was supposed to be star of the story but their love scene ended up to be my favorite. It was tender, and very romantic. Fitz treated Ethan well, like how Ethan deserved it. It was very nice to witness. And I love the epilogue. Sigh, I love epilogues. XD

If there's something I think that can be improved from this is I think a little more push on the love scene and more from the action scenes. I find the mud fight a little lacking. But it was still enjoyable.

A cutesy feel good historical short! A nice read! :D

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh yeah, this was delicious. The images were so clear, it was almost a shock to look up and not hear the crowds cheering or smell the food cooking. Where did the tent go?!

And I can't not mention sexual tension; I definitely felt that. Yikes, I'm surprised the tent didn't catch fire :)

Wonderful story, Olley!


ETA: I can't believe I didn't mention the cover! It really should be on a paperback so it can sit on my coffee table. I could stare at it and pet it all the time. Beautiful job, Natasha!

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mud wrestling.

I really don't know why I have to write more of a review than that, but for those less intuitive. Hot, muddy, sexy men rolling around in hopes of winning the coveted prize. Funny thing is…they're both winners. Unexpected setting, good descriptives and fun blow by blow commentating--yeah, I went there--makes this a diverting read. Short and sweet coffee break treat.

Favorite quote:

“This is a tourney not a fucking mating ritual,” jeered one man, raising his tankard in the air as others around him hooted in agreement.

[☆ Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, a beginning, a middle AND an end, all in 24 pages. I've read 300 page stories before that couldn't freaking do that. Impressive.

This is precisely how a short story is done right. I'd love to see this one turned into a full-length book. The story really did a great job of character development and, as for the muddy wrestling match, it made you want to see *both* Ethan and Fitz win.



And, although I didn't really see that as being a possibility (someone has to lose, right?), well, I think anyone who's read this complete gem of a short story would be hard pressed to find a loser here.

The story had compassion, caring and heat, heat, M***erFu*kin' HEAT. Whew, has anybody got a sweet tea that I could borrow?



Let's see, we have...

        • 2 hot guys wrestling in the mud ✓
        • A hot, hands-on 2-person bath ✓
        • *Vanilla* bath w/o going all "purple prose" ✓
        • Toppy, guy submitting (this time) ✓
        • Happily ever after ✓

What else is there???

---------------------------------------

Note: There's also a 67 page part 2 in this series, also free, which seems to have both Ethan & Fitz returning, but set in modern times vs. the middle ages.

Download 'Fighting Dirty Too' here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

*Hot-Loving-Bubbly-Dirty-Part2-Tingles-Here*

---------------------------------------

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I am in awe of authors who can do so much with so little and of course by that I mean so few words. Olley White transported me back in time with Fighting Dirty. I was on that field; I could see the colourful Banners and the tents, I could feel the mud under Ethan's feet as he fought his way through opponents to get what he wanted and deserved.

How could I not when you set pieces written like this...

The sun was high in the sky, a burning, blistering mass of heat, but the ground underfoot bore witness to the rain that had befallen the country for the preceding weeks.

Goodness. This story. This match. The reason Ethan is fighting and when he realizes who his last opponent is and then there is FITZ! Just the thought of those green grey eyes glinting in the sun makes me want to swoon.

I love that there was a bit of a back story to the boys. Gah. It made me fall that much harder and then...and then. Oh goodness. Fitz being all bossy was hot. I loved this!

Fighting Dirty was a fun, sexy and brilliant story that took the prompt and the Dear Author letter and ran away with it. Ran away into the sunset where boys wrestle with boys in the mud and find so much...I am rambling. Yup. This was so good.

Well Done!

[Nick Pageant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Two hot guys fight in the mud and then take a bath. This was hot as fuck.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is how you write a short story! I cannot believe this author was able to make such an impact with so few words. I felt like I was there. I kept waiting to feel the mud between my toes. I felt the excitement of the crowd. I felt the passion and hunger to win in the fighters. I felt Brendan's mother's heart break. And I felt the sweetness of the romance in the end.

Thank you, Olley, for sharing your time and talent with the MM Romance Group! I can't wait to read your next Love's Landscapes story. (While I wait I'll just sit and stare at the AMAZING cover on this one! Natasha, you are the bomb!)

[Anyta Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohhhh, it's out! Looking forward to reading this!!! Will download it as soon as it becomes available. :D

Just seen this is now available for download! Will read tonight!!! :D Can't wait.

Read it!

Olley White has such a wonderful way of painting a vivid picture that transports you to the place. I loved the fighting, particularly the way mud oozed and glued those gorgeous men together . . .
Gosh, that fight scene was fifthly good.

;)


ETA:
I almost forgot. I giggled, because I misread a line. I'll share, because I think it's quite fitting for this author . . . this is what I read:

Unicorns in the bottom class were made solely to carry on bloodlines, not to satisfy sexual needs

*Blinks. Rereads. . . . Unions!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy historicals I love this story so hard!

The author captured the tension and the stress SO well on SO many levels. Between the fight scenes and the mounting attraction I was so completely hooked! It was amazing how much was experienced in so few words.

Then, the end . . . Oh hellz yeah, every bit of tension was worth it and the payoff was perfect.

Another reread and rereread for this one is in order.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Olley White for this free story and thanks to all the other authors who participated in this event.

Not usually my kind of thing but I really enjoyed this one. It has opened my eyes to maybe pursuing something a little bit different. Well done.

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ethan is fighting for his freedom and will do anything to gain such a coveted prize. He never thought he’d come across a foe that he actually admired and lusted over.

Short but sensual and never long enough.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So flipping good.

[Jilrene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good short story. All kinds of happy in the end.

[Giulio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vividly sketched. Very good writing. Wow!

[Nico Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello, readers! Y'all are smart people, so I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you that mudfighting is sexay. Yeah, right?

Well, mudfighting plus m/m romance?

SEXAY-ER!

This little short is super hot and carries with it such a unique sense of place and atmosphere. Get lost in the world created by Olley White and then roll around in the really wonderful phrases that make you feel like you're right there with Ethan and Fitz.

Great FREE short story from a promising author new to m/m romance! :)

[Penumbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fighting Dirty was written for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s 2014 Love’s Landscapes event. This story is told through the eyes of Ethan Reed a lowly peasant competing in a mud-wrestling event for the chance to join the King’s Army.

Every fifth year the province holds a tournament to select a winner to join the King’s army. Strong, young men compete in the mud-wrestling event hoping to advance and get their chance to leave their villages and down-trodden lives. Ethan has succeeded to the final round, not through luck, but through his wits and now he waits for his final opponent. Ethan had calculated that it would be someone he knew, but instead it turns out to be Charlie Fitzwilliam, the nephew of Lord Granston. Charlie is the opposite of his tyrannical uncle. Charlie is kind and thoughtful, even to the peasants. Ethan is stunned. He didn’t expect to have to fight Charlie. Not only that, but Ethan has had a crush on Charlie for many years. Despite how Ethan feels, he fights hard and wins. Only then does he find out that Charlie has also been watching him for years..

This was an interesting story, but not quite what I was expecting. The prompt says this:

I didn’t even compete to win, but once he was my final opponent, I had to give all I have in me, to prove to him I’m worthy.

..this tournament was my chance to get near him. All I ever wanted was for him to get to know me and maybe, just maybe, something could grow?

I don’t think this is how the story went. This story was more about winning the tournament to make a better life and Ethan desperately wanted to win. Not to get near Charlie or prove something to Charlie, but to make a better life for himself.So I don’t think the story followed the prompt closely, but then the prompter probably doesn’t mind.

I’m a dialogue person and this story had hardly any dialogue, it was mostly description of what was happening. It was very good descriptions and actions, but I still found my mind wanting to wander because there was so much of it. The sex was pretty hot for the little there was of it. I wish we got to read about how Ethan adjusted to being in the King’s army and his growing relationship with Charlie. Also,this story was way too short for me.

I think people will like this style of writing, it was very vividly described, but I prefer more dialogue and less description. I don’t think it followed the prompt all that closely. I also think this would have been nice if it was longer. Oh, and before I forget, the cover is very, very hot. If I had a cock, I’d be rock hard right now. I’d give this story 3.0 stars, but because of the cover, I’m raising it to 4 Stars.

[Barbara➰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just a quickie but it sure packed a punch. The writing was beautiful. I will definitely be checking out this author's other stuff.

[Sheziss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this novella pretty much. From two guys who have not talked to each other in their lives to lovers only a fight is necessary. I get that, because lust I understand and that aspect of their relationship is quite obvious. The physical interaction is hot and the flame is ignited almost instantly, thing that is more distracting than not when they are trying to beat each other in the middle of the mud.



But it being so short I was dying for this story to have more depth, more 3D feelings because I thought it too rushed. It’s just that for letting the love blossom a year has to pass and that felt a bit off for me. Not because I didn’t buy it, just because I still wanted to live that year with them, seeing them grow at the same time their emotions do. I comprehend that is not possible, because it had to be done in less than 30 pages, but still. I’m disappointed with the rules, not with the author, I just want a whole novel out of this!



Based only on the story, I was into it in seconds and couldn’t let it go. I immersed into the writing and the MC, even if they barely talk, because their thoughts compensate the few words they mutter. The world created here, a mix of medieval atmosphere and fictional orb, was attractive enough and would be interesting to develop into a whole parallel universe.

I think the author very capable of making this shortie a big thing, and I really would want for the MC to have what they deserve. A visual and tactile reading in all its brevity!

[Lisa *-* GiViNg It To YoU * LoCk StOcK & TwO SmOkiNg BaRrELs · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 DiRtY StArS

Now All I Wonna Do Is Get Filthy!!




Olley White, seduced me with this little tease of a read....Dirty in a Sexy Way, Messy Oh Yeah, Slick, Lustful Enemies to Lovers Story ~ Ethan & Fitz.

Mud Wrestling ~ Need I Say More...ooh la la!!!


Me and the Boys thoroughly enjoyed this....




Great Lazy Weekend Read!!

[Elizabetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I like the play on fighting dirty and how fighting in a mud pit helps our hero get the best of the fight. There’s a lot of fighting. And I like that. Did I say fighting? Yeah, liked that.

The mud, not so much.

The clean-up in bath tent afterwards, quite a bit.

[Trisha Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable story. My only complaint is the ending. I would have liked something a bit longer, but it was solid so I could sort of overlook that. Oh, and the cover is amazing!

[♣ Irish Smurfétté ♣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intense action!

Romantic, YO. Which is a tricky trick to pull off in such a short story.

Fitz and Ethan are two characters about which I would love to have more. Immediate attraction handled well in a wee bit of a story.

There were some parts that would have benefited from a few more sentences spent. A few transitions were thin.

The detail is healthy, however, and beautiful. I could easily picture most scenes.

And yes, that cover! Also gorgeous.

Definitely recommend!! :)

[Menna · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was a little HOT historical read with two hot alpha-males and lots of testosterone!
Ethan.....

Fitz.....


I enjoyed reading it!

[Dawn Sister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, fighting dirty at the start, only because there was mud involved, always a bonus. It was the getting clean part that caught my attention. I've yet to read a better bathing scene. The fighting, the wrestling and the epilogue, they were all just perfect.
Five stars because, OMG, it was a great read.

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This almost makes me want to mud wrestle.....a great short story that packed a punch!